Unlike plant mucilage or latex, natural resins are non-volatile products derived from the surface or incision of plants. In the plant kingdom, about 10% of species can secrete resin and they are mostly found in the tropics. As typical representatives, agarwood, dragon’s blood, frankincense, myrrh, rosin, etc., have been broadly mentioned in the history of many cultures as the precious and scarce resources of spice, preservatives, dyes, or traditional medicine from ancient times. In nature, only old plants produce a small amount of natural resin and the process of harvesting them is always destructive for the original plants, which results in the rarity of plant resins. Due to the spice and medicinal value of natural resins, wild original plants have been exploited excessively and many of them have been considered endangered on IUCN red list.

In plant resins, various special types of terpenes, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, and their derivatives have been indicated as the main aromatic or pharmacodynamic compounds. However, the mechanisms of plant resin formation and the genetic bases behind them still needs further investigation. It is of great importance to reveal the genetic background and ecological significance of plant resins by knowing how the original plants accumulate so many diversiform compounds in their resins. In addition, induction techniques also need to be developed to make good use of endangered plants and to produce natural resins efficiently.

This Research Topic aims to expand our understating of the new findings on formation mechanisms, ecological significance, species populations, and taxonomics of natural resins and their original plants through research at all levels, including classical molecular biology, geographical ecology, or emerging multi-omics. It will not only contribute to understanding the formation mechanisms and ecological significance of plant resins, but also assist in the efficient use of limited original plant resources for the sustainable production of plant resins.

All types of articles including original research, mini review, review, perspective opinion, and new methods are warmly welcomed. The scope of this research topic includes, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:

1. Ecological significance and sustainable utilization of natural resins under climate change, especially for their contribution to the growth, development, and (a)biotic stress response of their original plants
2. Phylogenetic status establishment of plants which produce natural resins by novel methods or data, in particular the taxa which poorly studied with molecular biology methods.
3. The application of multi-omics data (such as transcriptomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, and proteomics) to understand the formation mechanism of natural resins and their original plants.
4. Function and evolution of novel gene or gene families associated with plant resins formation and regulation, as well as the accumulation of special biological active compounds in natural resins
5. The phytochemistry and genetics of the specific chemical composition accumulation in natural resins under temporal and spatial variation or environmental stress.
6. Methods for improving the yield of natural resins from original plants and evaluation of their potential applications.
7. New conservation strategies for the original plants of natural resins.
8. Social-economic importance of natural resins for local communities

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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